Holding It Together
by JasperMoon
Summary: After Siberia, Tony's PTSD and anxiety is tearing him apart. But he has a job to do. So does what he does best, he builds and fixes, hanging on by a thread. When he's done though, what's left to hold him together? Bucky is a little scared, but the chance to heal? Who is he to refuse. All he wants is to get rid of the triggers in his head.
1. Cold

It was cold.

He couldn't move, when Steve had broken the arc reactor, it had shut down the suit. After the two super soldiers left, he had managed to crawl further in. It provided him some shelter but no warmth. He might not have needed the reactor to keep out the shrapnel anymore, but the suit still required a power source.

It was so cold.

"FRIDAY? You there?"

There was no reply. "Shit." Tony could only hope FRIDAY was alerting someone.

It was really cold.

—

"Miss Potts."

"Yes FRIDAY?"

"I have lost contact with Boss. His suit has gone off line. Sending through his last location now."

"Oh God, Tony is in Siberia? What is he doing in Siberia?"

—

By the time Vision got to Tony, he was in hypothermic shock. Steve smashing his shield into the suit had caused enough damage to the suit that Tony was left with 3 broken ribs and extensive bruising across his torso. And to top it all off, the panic attacks and nightmares were back in full force. Although they'd never gone away since New York, he'd gotten better at managing them. But when Vision came to take him home from the hospital and he got back to the facility to find Cap's shield leaning against the kitchen counter, he couldn't breathe and the cold was back. It took almost half an hour for Vision to calm him down again, and only after he'd removed the shield from the room.

Tony disappeared into his workshop for the next two days. Nothing Pepper or Rhodey did would get FRIDAY to let them in. Nat only tried after Pepper yelled at her and even she couldn't find a way around FRIDAY.

When he finally emerged from his workshop, Rhodey found him in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. "Hey Tones, FRIDAY said you'd finished?" He wasn't sure what was going on and he didn't want to accidentally do something that might scare Tony off.

"Yeah, they still need some tweaking but I'll need experimental feedback for that." Tony turned around carefully, nursing his steaming cup. He looked like he hadn't slept at all the past two days and Rhodey was willing to bet that he probably hadn't. "You'll walk again I promise Rhodey." He gestured to the metal braces leaning against the bench with his free hand.

"Tones, you didn't have to," Rhodey began.

"Nuh-uh Honey bear, no complaining. Now I'm going to take a shower and you're gonna put those on and when I come back I want test data."

"Oh so I'm just your guinea pig then?" Rhodey grinned, maybe Tony was going to be okay after all.

He spoke too soon, half an hour later, Tony was still in the shower. The only explanation he got from FRIDAY was "Boss is trying to warm up".

Rhodey busied himself in the gym, testing out the braces until he was interrupted by a panicked FRIDAY. "Colonel Rhodes, Boss has overridden the temperature limits in the bath, if I continue heating the water he will sustain burns."

"Ah shit."

"Tony, I swear to God if you don't open this door, I will break it down." Rhodey banged his hand against Tony's bathroom door. "I'm not kidding, your workshop door may be bullet proof but this one isn't." He raised his arm to hit the door again but swung into empty air as Tony opened the door, a towel wrapped around his waist and a second slung around his shoulders

"I'm just so cold Rhodey..." Tony's face was pinched and his eyes tired.

"I know Tones, come on, get dressed. I've got some data for you." Rhodey's face softened at the lost look on Tony's face. He didn't want to push the issue right now, but needed to find a psychologist for Tony. Someone discreet.

—

Tony threw himself back into the workshop, Rhodey moved into the facility, he told Tony it was because of his legs, but really he was there to make sure Tony ate and slept. He was sure if they left Tony alone, he'd work himself to death. It was worse than after New York.

"Tony, take a break, you've gotta eat something. And how long has it been since you've slept." Rhodey yelled over the music pumping through the workshop.

"It has been 54 hours and 16 minutes since Boss slept." FRIDAY turned down the music to a more acceptable volume

Tony didn't even turn away from his work as he replied. "Traitor. And I'm fine Rhodey, I'll sleep once I'm finished here."

"Tony it's one am. Get some sleep, you can come back to this."

—

_"He's my friend." Steve stated that like it explained everything._

_"So was I." Tony felt his heart shattering. _

_"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony yelled at Steve's retreating back. No stay! Don't leave me. Please. "You don't deserve it." Turn around. "My father made that shield." Please._

_Cold._

Tony sat up with a gasp. He was shivering uncontrollably. "FRIDAY turn the heating up." He thinks she might have replied but he couldn't hear her over the roaring in his ears.

"Colonel, Boss had a nightmare." Rhodey had asked FRIDAY to wake him up after Tony almost burnt himself again trying to get warm. Struggling a little, he made it out of his bed, into the wheelchair. He wheeled himself out and to Tony's door.

"Tones, you in there?" He pushed open the door. God, it was warm in here. Tony was still shivering violently, curled in on himself wrapped in blankets. "Oh shit, Tony, Tony look at me. You're in New York. We're in the New Avengers Facility remember?"

"I-I'm so c-cold." Tony stuttered out. That was good, he knew Rhodey was there, but his eyes were glassy, looking through Rhodey rather than at him.

"Tony, it's okay, you're home." Rhodey wheeled up to the bed and heaved himself up. Sitting on the edge, he placed his hands on Tony's shoulders. "Its okay, feel my hands, they're warm right?" Tony nodded slightly, he was still shivering, but it was more of a tremble now.

Rhodey sat there with his hands on Tony's shoulders until he calmed down again. "What's the time?" Tony asked softly.

"It's almost three thirty. Go back to sleep Tony." Rhodey tried to push him back down.

"No, can't sleep now. I'm going to go down to the workshop." He pulled the covers off him, a little more awake now, shuffling towards the door.

Rhodey manoeuvred himself back into his chair and rolled after him. "Tony, you need more sleep."

Tony turned to face his friend, "I can't Rhodey, I can't sleep and I need to do something. I close my eyes, Rhodey and I-I just, it's, I can't, Rhodey." Tony was almost pleading and Rhodey could see the desperation in his eyes. Rhodey never asked what it was the Tony dreamt about but he knew it was too much for Tony to face alone. And that was the problem. After New York, he had the team, and eventually he got better at managing his anxiety. But what was he supposed to do not that his team, his family had left. When it was one of them who was causing these panic attacks. Rhodey might not have asked, but he knew it was Captain Rogers who was at the root of this all.

"Yeah alright then, but I'm coming down there with you. I'm not leaving you alone right now." Rhodey was firm as he gestured for Tony to lead the way.

—

"Cap," Sam called from the cockpit of their stolen quinjet. "Cap. Steve."

"Yes, sorry, just got a bit distracted." Steve shook his head and turned to face him. "Is there something you need?"

"You've been out of it since you picked us up from the Raft. Whats going on Cap?" He put the jet on autopilot and spun to face him.

"I just, I sent Stark a letter and a phone, and well I know it ended badly, but I, well I thought I would have heard from him by now." Steve sighed and looked a little hurt.

"Steve, just give him some time. I'm sure he'll come around." Sam gave him a slightly pitying look. "We can call Nat if you still haven't heard from him in a few days."

"Thanks."

—

"Sam." Natasha's face appeared on the holo screen.

"Nat, how are you? How is Rhodey doing, and Stark?"

"Well they're alive." Nat's answer was short and her tone clipped.

"Nat, who is it?" Empty mug in hand, Tony shuffled over to the kitchen. Nat froze.

"Oh. Hi Sam." Tony's voice was slightly rough. "Didn't expect you to be calling." He smiled weakly, Nat let out a small sigh of relief, seeing Sam didn't trigger a panic attack and Tony seemed alright, slightly hurt but otherwise fine for the moment.

"Stark." Sam hadn't quite prepared to see Tony again yet. "How are you?"

"Never better." The mask snapped up but the false bravado was easy to see through and it broke Nat's heart. "What have you been up to these days?"

"You know, just hiding from the government, the usual." Sam gave a small grin.

"Tony?" Steve's voice filtered in from somewhere behind Sam and Tony froze. A second later, his face appeared beside his.

"Shit." Nat dropped the phone and turned around. "Tony, you with me here?" Tony's eyes were glassy and his breathing had sped up.

"Tony? Nat? What's going on?" Steve's voice still coming through the phone.

"FRIDAY end the call." Nat had already jumped over the back of the couch to where Tony was curled on the floor, coffee spilt beside him. "Come on Tony, stay with me here. It's fine, they aren't here, its just us Tony."

"Right yeah, okay, I'm okay." Tony's voice as a little shaky but he was looking at Nat and his breathing had steadied. "I'm going to take a shower." He turned on his heels and left.

Damn it. Nat knew they had just taken a step back. "There is a call for you, Agent Romanov. I took the liberty of silencing it." FRIDAY's Irish accent came filtering in.

"Thanks." She walked back over to where she'd dropped his phone. It was Sam again, her finger hesitated over the end button for a few seconds. "This had better be worth it." She muttered angrily at the two faces now peering at her from the screen.

"What just happened? Is everything alright? Where did Tony go?" Steve was frowning with what Nat guessed was confusion and concern he had no right to.

"No, everything is not alright, no thanks to you." Nat held her anger, bubbling under the surface. She could hear the water running and he knew Tony wouldn't be out of the shower for at least another half hour.

"Nat, please just explain." Sam tried

"Explain? I don't think you deserve an explanation." At the hurt in their face's Nat continued. "Or maybe, you do, you deserve to know exactly what it is your actions have caused."

"We were just doing what we thought was right. You switched sides too." Steve tried to defend himself. "Bucky was innocent..."

"No, Steve, you don't get to talk here. I did what I thought was right but I owned up to my actions. I let you go, but I didn't try and kill Tony in the process." Nat's pokerface held steady but her eyes glared accusingly. "He doesn't go out anymore, he barely sleeps. He only eats when we make him. He probably wouldn't even shower if it wasn't for the fact he spends half his time trying to warm up again. What just happened you asked? A panic attack, that's what. He'd gotten so much better after New York and now it's worse than it ever was." Nat paused to regain her composure. "He could have died, and he knows it. And this time, it wasn't because of aliens or demi gods. It was because his team, because you, hurt him and left him to die."

"He didn't need the arc reactor anymore, he had it removed." Steve replied.

"The reactor still powered the suit. He was injured and stuck and you left him there to freeze. That would have killed him if Vision hadn't brought him back." Nat fought back the urge to end the call then. "Not sure if you remember, but Tony's no super soldier. Did you know you broke three of his ribs?"

"But," Steve started to talk before Nat cut him off again.

"No, no buts, you don't get to defend yourself, not when Tony's suffering like this. Don't call again." And with that the call ended.

"Well, that went well." Sam kept his back to Steve for a moment longer. When he turned around, Steve was staring out the cockpit of the quinjet. "Steve?"

"I didn't realise it was that bad." His voice was low and choked, "I thought, I don't know, but… I wasn't meant to be like this Sam. You didn't see the fight. Tony just attacked Bucky, he was trying to kill him."

Sam wasn't too sure about what had happened in Siberia. Steve and Bucky had emerged battered and bruised and Sam had assumed it had been the other Winter Soldiers, but if he interpreted Steve's words correctly, it hadn't been Soldiers, but Stark who had caused the damage. "Steve, what happened, in Siberia? Stark said there were more Winter Soldiers?"

Steve looked up at Sam with a shaky glance, a tinge of guilt in his eyes. "The Winter Soldiers were already dead when we got there. Stark attacked Bucky and well, I had to disable the suit."

"Its my fault Steve, I sent him to you. I thought he would go as a friend." Sam attempted to offer some comfort. "Steve, you didn't mean to, you were just trying to save Bucky."

"Yeah, I was just trying to save Bucky."

—

"FRIDAY, create new active override, codes Honeybear and Spider. Honeybear code permission granted to Rhodey, Spider code permission granted to Peter and Nat." Tony grimaced, he needed to keep himself alive for a little longer, he still had things to do, people he owed.

"Understood, priority status and parameters Boss?"

"Priority 1, only creator override is to be a higher priority." He needed to keep his failsafe there and a way to cancel these codes when he didn't need them anymore. "Override is only to be valid when both codes are provided. Relay this information to them for me. Thanks baby girl."

As it so happened Rhodey and Natasha were all in the lounge of the facility when FRIDAY informed them of their new override.

"I would stress that you do not abuse this privilege Boss has given you. I may have to obey the override but I can make your lives very difficult in here." The normally lilting tones were noticeably harsher.

"Understood FRIDAY, we won't break Tony's trust." Rhodey supplied for both of them. "We're gonna have to talk to the kid. Tony wants to take him home himself tomorrow."

"I'll go find him." Nat's lips were pursed. At least Tony wasn't giving away all his things again, although she wasn't sure if this was potentially more worrying. Even when he was dying, he went to ridiculous lengths to keep it hidden and here he was, three days home and throwing override codes to them.

Natasha found Peter in his room staring at the ceiling as he spoke with FRIDAY. "What happened to Mr Stark after the airport? I mean giving me a suit is one thing but why is he giving me an override code?"

"I believe Agent Romanov has come to explain that to you."

"Oh, um hi Agent Romanov." Peter sat up very suddenly. Even after staying in the facility the past week, he was still fairly nervous around everyone. Nat supposed that having the only familiar face he knew basically be absent didn't help much. Peter hadn't seen Tony since he'd come back from the hospital.

"Hey kid, I've told you before, call me Nat, we're spider buddies aren't we?" She was trying to be more empathetic, the events of the past few weeks had shown her not only were her team mates lacking but she could be too.

"Nat, right, sorry. Um, so whats happening? Is Mr Stark okay? I heard he got out of hospital a few days ago but I haven't seen him. Is he mad at me? I tried I really did." Peter all but threw the words at Nat.

"Calm down, it's okay, he just needed some time to himself." Nat sat down on the bed with a small exhale. "I don't want to betray Tony's trust in me, but there are a few things you've got to know." Peter seemed to understand that he didn't need to say anything and was listening intently, concern clearly etched on his face. "A lot happened after the airport, most of it not good. I won't go into detail but the result was Tony got stranded in Siberia in his broken suit. He's been through a lot and he has PTSD. Do you know what that is?"

Peter nodded, he went to see a psych after his parents died and after Uncle Ben was killed. Aunt May wanted to make sure he dealt with everything in a healthy way.

"Well Tony's, condition has worsened due to being stranded and he's given us the override codes to help him when he needs it. Tony will be taking you home tomorrow, I don't think he wants to make a big deal out of it since he asked FRIDAY to tell us, so probably don't mention it unless he does."

"Right of course. Will Mr Stark be okay?"

"Yeah, it will just take some time but we'll make sure he's gets there." Nat offered the worried teenager a small smile. He was too young to be dealing with this shit. At first she had been angry at Tony for bringing a kid into it. Then she met him and realised he was probably safer with Tony's tech. He was too stubborn and would have continued his night time adventures with or without Ton's help. None of them had thought the situation at the airport was going to turn into a fight.

With a small squeeze to his shoulder she got up. "Anymore questions kid?

"Um, just one more. Is Mr Stark mad at me? Is that why he's sending me home?"

"No, Pete, he's just worried about you. He doesn't want you caught up in all the Accords bullshit till its sorted out. And your Aunt May is expecting you home soon."

"Oh right, well, thanks Agent Romanov." A raised eyebrow from Nat and Peter blushed and stammered, "I mean, thanks um Nat."


	2. Accountability

Cameras flashed as Tony walked across the stage. This was his first public appearance since Siberia. Unlike his infamous 'I am Iron Man' conference, Tony stuck to his cards this time.

The chatter died when he stopped behind the podium and cleared his throat. "I would like to begin by first apologising, not just for the damage caused over the last few weeks by the Avengers, but also for any damage we have caused in the past. We need to be held accountable for our actions. The Accords are by no means perfect, and I intend to spend the upcoming weeks in discussion with the UN to work on this document."

"Accountability begins now. On that note, I need to address something that is not yet public knowledge. Two weeks ago, I went to Siberia. I had reason to believe Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes were there and I did this behind General Ross' back." Tony knew the government wouldn't try to arrest him whilst he was on stage, and when he was done, there would be a very low chance they would arrest him at all. They were too afraid of what would happen if there were no Avengers left.

"I believed that the Captain and Barnes were in danger and I was right. It was a trap, set up by Helmut Zemo, who is now in US custody. Zemo was behind the bombing of the UN summit and framed Barnes, triggering the events of the Civil War and when I arrived in Siberia, we walked right into his web. That said, we are not blameless, I am not blameless."

He shifted a little restlessly and took a deep breath, "In the heat of the moment, I attacked Sergeant Barnes. Captain Rogers attempted to stop me and we fought. For this, I would also like to apologise." Exhaling slowly, Tony continued, "Accountability is not just apologising but also taking responsibility. Stark Industries be funding the repair in the aftermath of the Civil War and I will personally be working on the negotiations for pardons for Captain Rogers and his team."

Tony looked tiredly across the room. He had originally intended on answering questions but the speech had taken more out of him than he had expected. "Thank you for your time, I won't be taking questions today." With that, the room exploded in noise. Tony gathered his cards and shuffled off the stage, leaving Happy and the rest of the security to deal with the reporters.

He was ushered back to his car, Nat pushing a path through the crowd that had already gathered outside. The concierge opened the door as he slid into the driver's seat, Nat taking the passengers side. The engine was already running so the moment the doors shut, he took off.

"Good job, you did well Tony." Nat broke the not entirely comfortable silence.

Tony shrugged, flicking his eyes towards her before returning his attention to the road. "I'm getting better."

Nat agreed, he was getting better, but only at pretending he was fine.

—

The news of Tony's press release reached Wakanda the same evening. Steve, Clint, Wanda and Scott were eating dinner in the kitchen of their fairly expansive floor when T'Challa arrived to inform them of the news.

"Good evening, I am only here briefly to give you an update. Mr Stark is currently working on pardons for you all, Sergeant Barnes is likely to be cleared of all charges in the coming days. I recommend you read some of the news articles from America for more in-depth information."

"Thank you." Steve made to stand up but T'Challa waved him back down.

"I will leave you to your dinner. I will bring you more information once negotiations have begun." With a small nod to the group, T'Challa left them to discuss the news.

Clint had already started googling and had found a recording of Tony's statement. "Look at him, trying to get in their good books again. That's the only reason he's doing this. Makes him look good."

"Thats a little unfair, don't you think?" Steve frowned a little but his heart wasn't in it. After New York, Steve had thought maybe his first impression was wrong. Then Tony created Ultron, and signed the Accords. And then Siberia, all just served to reinforce that first impression. Stark was arrogant, didn't think things through, and he only cared about himself.

—

Whilst Tony occupied himself in his workshop and in meetings about the Accords, Natasha took it upon herself to get to know Peter better. She began teaching him how to fight properly and take the fullest advantage of his powers. They were taking a break during one of their sparring sessions when Peter suddenly blurted "Why is Mr Stark helping Captain America?"

Nat put down her drink bottle and turned to face Peter. "I'm not sure Peter."

"But, wasn't it Rogers who hurt him? Why does Mr Stark have to apologise?" Peter frowned at the floor, his fists clenched in frustration.

"Tony is doing all he can to keep the Avengers together, that's all he's ever done." She had noticed it too late, too caught up in her own survival instinct and too stubborn to see past her initial assessment. Iron Man: Yes, Tony Stark: Not Recommended. We took Tony for granted, and he paid the price.

Peter huffed a little. "I still don't see why Rogers should be allowed to come back."

It would be hypocritical of Natasha to criticise Tony for helping Steve. He'd done basically the same thing for her. To be fair, she hadn't tried to kill him. Peter saved her from having to reply, changing the topic in his next breath.

"Hey Tony." Hurt flashed quickly in Natasha's eyes at Tony's flinch.

Tony didn't turn around, continuing to work on the blue hologram schematics around him. "Nat."

"Why did you help me?"

"You didn't do anything I didn't end up doing." He said with a shrug. She had let Steve and Bucky go, Tony hadn't told Ross he was following them to Siberia. If he got to come home at the end of the day, then Nat deserved that too.

"Still, you didn't have to help me." Natasha didn't understand why, sure what Tony said was true. But she betrayed him. She wouldn't have helped herself if she had been in Tony's shoes. "You didn't have to invite me to stay here either."

She'd only agreed after Rhodes had called her and basically threatened her to accept the invitation, that had been entirely unexpected. Tony hadn't gotten back with Pepper and she was too busy with Stark Industries in any case. Rhodes was still learning to walk and Vision didn't quite understand the lasting effects of their fallout. As much as he was annoyed with her, he knew Tony needed someone who could help.

Tony shrugged again, waving a hand dismissively. Nat knew his act of nonchalance was exactly that, an act. She didn't call him out on it though.

"Mmmm. That's not why you came down here though." Tony could be surprisingly perceptive. Nat wasn't sure why it still caught her off guard, she'd been around him often enough.

"Peter asked me something today." Nat crossed her arms and lent against one of the benches. "I didn't know the answer and I'd like to know. Why are you helping Steve?"

Tony turned around and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I'm not helping Rogers."

Nat raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean yeah, I'm helping him, but that's just because I'm trying to help Barnes." Tony rubbed his chest absentmindedly. "I shouldn't have attacked him. It wasn't his fault. I mean I see that now and I should have then too. I was just so angry, but it was my fault. I shouldn't have let it get to me. I should have thought it through better, and just …"

"Tony. Tony! Take a breath." Nat interrupted him before he could work himself into a panic again. "Breathe okay? And explain, what happened in Siberia? And don't give me the bullshit from your press conference, obviously there was more to it."

Tony exhaled loudly. "There was a tape, of my parent's car accident. Only, it wasn't actually an accident."

Suddenly Nat knew exactly what it was. "It was Barnes. Your parents' accident, it was the Winter Soldier."

Tony's eyes flickered up and met Nat's. "So you knew too?

"I," Nat swallowed, "I knew it was Hydra, and I guessed it was the Winter Soldier."

Tony only smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry Tony."

"At least you didn't try to lie to me."

"Ah." The final piece clicked into place. "When you saw the tape, Steve said he didn't know, that's why you fought them."

"He tried to say he didn't know it was Barnes. I actually punched Rogers first." Tony grimaced. "I should have let him explain."

"Tony you just saw your parents murdered, no one would expect you to act rationally."

Rogers did, Tony thought to himself, but he just shrugged again.

"Anyway, what's done is done. I made a deal, if I want to bring Barnes back and cure him, they want the rest of Team Cap to come back as well. Mostly, they want Rogers back. And they all have to sign the Accords, or retire. Same deal you got offered."

"Ross can't be happy about that."

"He's in trouble for putting them in the Raft. That hadn't been approved by the Council either. So looks like we're all playing nice for a little while."

Nat hummed thoughtfully but said nothing further.

—

Bucky's eyes snapped open, darting around the room rapidly. He went to test his restraints only to find he had none. The room was too bright, too clean. Then it came flooding back, Steve, the airport, Siberia. Wakanda. He'd gone back into cryo. They must have found a way to remove the triggers if he was being woken.

"Good Morning, Sergeant Barnes." The King's soothing voice washed over him as he finally focused on the figure in front of him.

"Your Highness." His voice was a little rough. He swallowed a couple of times but waited for the King to speak.

T'Challa waited until the doctors had left before speaking. "There have been some discussions in the US. It seems your pardon will be successful. The others will be pardoned and will be returning to America. If you wish, you may join them. Mr Stark was able to adapt his Binary Augmented Retro Framing technology to target your triggers and if you so chose, will treat you upon your return."

Bucky wasn't sure how to respond, he was still processing the fact that he had a chance to remove the triggers and have his mind back again. "Wait, Stark? Why…?" Why was he helping? Didn't Stark hate him?

"I do not know the motivation behind Mr Stark's actions, but I can assure you there are no tricks here. Shuri has been helping Mr Stark with the technology. He has also been the driving force behind your pardons." The King shrugged slightly. "You will have to ask him his reasons yourself. You do not have to make a decision yet, although I warn you I will be informing Captain Rogers that you have been woken. I expect you will see him in the next hour."

Bucky nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness." Bucky didn't need much persuasion, he would take any chance to scrub his mind clean of the programming.

Bucky knew rationally, that it wasn't his fault. The things he'd done, the people he'd killed. But they still haunted him. He didn't need much sleep due to his own serum, but before he'd been put into the cryo chamber, he'd been plagued with nightmares. Watching as he carried out the missions, killed people and could do nothing but watch them die.

After Siberia, before he'd gone under again, the dreams had focused on the Starks. He could hear Howard Stark almost pleading "Sergeant Barnes." The gurgling as he strangled Maria Stark in her seat.

He didn't deserve Stark's help.

Bucky was still sitting in the med bay lost in his thoughts when Steve burst in.

"Buck!"

"Steve."

"Have you heard the news? We're going home." Steve's face was bright with excitement but Bucky couldn't summon the same enthusiasm.

Bucky tried a smile but he was fairly sure it came out as a grimace. "I'm not sure I'm worth all this trouble Steve."

"It wasn't your fault Bucky." Steve's eyes were big and earnest.

Bucky shrugged a little awkwardly, "That doesn't change anything though. I was still their weapon."

"It wasn't you." Steve insisted.

Bucky just shrugged again. "Yeah, the King said Stark has some tech to fix my head too." Bucky offered a small smile until Steve frowned. "Whats wrong?

"I, I don't trust him Buck. He tried to kill you."

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Bucky replied tentatively. "Steve, I don't think he was."

"What do you mean Bucky?" Steve's frown deepened as he bristled at the idea.

"I've seen what that suit can do Steve. He didn't hit us with anything lethal, even when I was down, he could have killed me then. He was just angry, and hurt." Bucky stared intently at the floor. Who wouldn't feel that after watching someone kill their parents. "But I don't think he was trying to kill me."

"Buck he tore your arm off. Just think about it pal. You don't have to accept anything from him."

Bucky looked up at Steve slightly incredulously. "Don't you want me to get rid of the programming?"

"No of course I do." Steve was quick to reassure him. "Just, be careful. Alright?"

"Yeah, alright." Bucky went back to staring at the floor.

"We'll get a place together, maybe go back to Brooklyn again!" Steve grinned at Bucky, his concern forgotten.

Bucky didn't reply other than a quiet hum. Honestly, Steve's mood swings were going to give him whiplash. He let Steve ramble on for a bit, not really paying much attention.

Why was Stark offering to help him? The King seemed to think that his motivations didn't matter. The Wakandans had also helped in developing the technology so he could at least be mostly sure that it was safe. As safe as trying to rewrite his brain could be he supposed.

"So whaddya think Buck?"

Bucky glanced up realising Steve was waiting for a reply. He tried to remember what Steve had been saying but came up blank. "Sorry, it's a lot to take in," he murmured apologetically.

"It's okay, we'll work it out when we get back." Steve placed a comforting arm on Bucky's good shoulder. "I'm with you till the end of the line pal."


	3. Home

Twelve days after the press release, James 'Bucky' Barnes was cleared of all charges. Soon after "Team Cap", as they had been dubbed by the public, were also pardoned. Stark Industries' B.A.R.F technology had been further developed and Barnes was to be woken from cryo. He, along with Team Cap, would be transported under the custody of the Wakandan King, who had revealed he had granted them asylum. Upon their arrival in New York, they were to be housed in the Avengers Facility.

"A gilded cage is still a cage." Clint protested, their pardons were a farce. They weren't allowed to leave the Facility for 6 months, they had until then to sign the Accords or they would be forced to retire and placed under another 18 months house arrest.

"It's a good behaviour period, be grateful we are allowed to return home at all." In all honesty, Scott had had enough of Clint. He hadn't stopped complaining since they'd landed in Wakanda.

"Stark was the one negotiating on our behalf, I'm surprised we aren't confined for life." Wanda scoffed.

"Stark got us pardons, we should be thankful for that." Scott frowned. Clint and Wanda weren't Stark's biggest fans and he could understand their frustration with him. But Stark had stuck his neck out for them all and they weren't the least bit grateful.

"I'm sure once we're there we can talk to them and sort out a better deal," Steve reassured the others.

—

Bucky hadn't spoken much since being woken. He was a little skeptical about whether Stark's tech would be able to cure him and even if it got rid of the HYDRA programming, he'd changed. He wasn't the same Bucky Steve remembered anymore. But then Steve wasn't the same either. The old Steve couldn't stand bullies. Now, he barely even defended Stark. Whilst they hadn't parted on friendly terms, through that was a bit of an understatement, the things Barton and Maximoff were spouting were out of line and Steve hardly protested.

While he didn't fully trust Stark, Bucky didn't think he deserved the vitriol the others were spitting about him. No matter his motivations, Stark was helping them, and didn't seem to be asking anything in return.

In order to avoid the media, their return flight was classified information. When they landed, they were greeted by two drivers who hadn't said anything other than to direct them into the cars. The drive to the facility was accompanied by a tense silence.

The drivers were obviously more than just drivers as they led the group into the facility and into the elevators. "The facility has been remodelled. You have all been assigned new rooms, your access codes remain the same and will allow you into your rooms, the gym and training areas, the mess and the common rooms. Any further access must be requested, just ask FRIDAY. She will pass the request on to the appropriate person."

They exited the elevator on the third floor and walked past a small common room and a kitchen, to their rooms. The doors had name plates beside them, designating each room's occupant. "Ask FRIDAY if you have any further queries." The two drivers returned to the elevators, leaving them in the corridor.

"What happened to our old rooms?" Steve frowned in confusion. They had the entire top three floors in the Tower and half a floor in the facility before they left.

"They said the facility was remodelled, perhaps that included our rooms." Sam gave a shrug, he had never stayed in a single place for long when he was in the Air Force and never had a connection to any one place.

"What the fuck?" They all turned to Clint who had just opened his room and was standing in the door way, looking ready to punch something. "Where is that bastard?" Or someone. "This is barely a room." The others keyed in their codes and pressed their thumbs against the scanners.

Pushing the doors open revealed a standard room with a double bed in the back right corner and a small desk and bookshelf in the left corner and a wardrobe against the right wall beside the bed. Steve could see no bathroom and looked up at the ceiling. "FRIDAY, where is the bathroom?"

"You will find the shared bathroom at the end of the corridor, Rogers." Steve didn't miss the dropping of his rank and her clipped tone. The last time she had seen him was when he was fighting Tony so he supposed her animosity was understandable.

"And where is Stark living then? I can bet he's not holed up in a cell like this." Clint growled from his room. When there was no reply forthcoming, he glared at the ceiling. "Hey, FRIDAY, I asked a question."

"I was unaware the question was directed at me. Boss continues to live in his old rooms. He does fund the Facility after all." FRIDAY had been told to answer their questions but she was not in a helpful mood and was pushing it to the limits of her programming.

"Right, of course, King Stark up in his palace while we are here rotting in the cells."

Bucky thought Barton was being a little dramatic its not like they needed any more space in the bedrooms and they had access to the common room and kitchen as well. They weren't even paying rent for any of this. If they were used to more, Stark must have been spoiling them. Honestly, Bucky thought Stark must be pretty generous if this is what he was providing after their fight.

He placed his backpack on the end of the bed and walked around the room slowly, inspecting the furniture. There was only one door leading to the hallway, a window that didn't open and an air vent in the ceiling. He knew would survive jumping out the window, they were only on the third floor. He was also fairly sure he could reach the ceiling vent and it looked large enough for him to fit through. Crawling through the vents would be difficult with one arm but he would manage it. Satisfied with his assessment, he began to unpack his things.

"I'll talk to Tony and get him to give us more suitable accommodation." Steve was attempting to reassure Barton once again. Bucky tuned them out as he arranged his few possessions. He vaguely registered Maximoff's voice and a slam of a door which was probably Lang.

—

"Boss, Sergeant Barnes has left his room." FRIDAY interrupted Tony's tinkering. He was upgrading the armour.

"Why are you telling me this Fri, he's allowed across that level." He continued his work, not looking up.

"Its 2am Boss."

"And he's allowed to leave his room." FRIDAY didn't respond and Tony lasted almost 3 minutes before asking "Baby, pull up the security feed of Barnes."

"I thought you said he was allowed to explore his floor." The smirk was almost audible in her tone.

"Don't sass me Fri, just give me the feed."

"Sure thing Boss." A small video feed appeared in the corner of one of Tony's holographic displays. Barnes had found his way to the common room and was poking around the cupboards and drawers. He didn't seem to be taking anything, just looking in every single drawer and opening each door, glancing in before shutting it again. Once he'd gone through everything, he sat down at the table and pulled out a small notebook. Tony could get FRIDAY to zoom in on it, but he felt that would be a bit too much of a breach of Barnes' privacy. If he was honest, watching the security feed could be considered a little creepy, but they all knew the common areas of the Facility were monitored.

It seemed Barnes wasn't doing anything else other than writing in his notebook so Tony went back to working on the armour.

When Tony next checked the feed, the notebook had been put away and Barnes was just sitting there staring blankly at the wall. Tony watched for a minute but he didn't seem to be moving at all, other than the blinking of his eyes.

At 4:47, Tony saw movement on the feed out the corner of his eye. Barnes got up and slowly walked back to his room.

"Well, that was anti-climactic." Tony thought out loud.

It happened the next night, and the night after. And the night after that too. Barnes would leave his room at around 2 and go back in at 4:30. All he did was sit at the table and write in his notebook.

Tony noticed on the third morning that at 5, Rogers would leave his room, use the bathroom and head to the gym. Barnes would go back to the kitchen and eat breakfast and return to his room before Rogers got back.

On the fifth morning, Tony realised Barnes only left his room of his own accord when Rogers was at the gym. If he didn't know any better, it seemed like Barnes was avoiding Rogers. Sure he'd leave his room when Rogers knocked but it seemed to take a fair amount of coaxing to get him out.

It was interesting. Tony was curious.

—

Bucky was getting a little frustrated with Steve. He hadn't left him alone since he'd been woken in Wakanda. He thought Steve would get better when he got home, but it was still just as bad.

The first night, when he couldn't sleep more than a couple of hours, he'd gone into the common area and checked everything out, cataloguing everything that could be a potential weapon. All their weapons had been confiscated and wouldn't be returned unless they signed the Accords. It seemed, they were still trusted with kitchen knives.

When he was done, he still didn't think he'd be able to sleep. He took out the journal the psychologist in Wakanda had given him. He was supposed to write down his thoughts. Things that happened during the day, things that were bothering him, a list of things he liked or didn't, memories that surfaced. He was a little skeptical but what could it hurt.

He wrote a few lines about the plane trip and their arrival in America but he didn't have much else so he put the book away and just sat there, enjoying the quiet. No complaining from Barton and Maximoff, no pestering from Steve to talk or spar. He didn't mind Wilson and Lang but it was nice to have no one bothering him. So he just sat there.

A quick glance at the clock told him he'd been in the kitchen for two and a half hours when he heard shuffling in the corridor. He heard the bathroom door shut and he stood up and slipped back into his room, careful not to make any noise. He didn't need someone coming into the kitchen and questioning what he was doing.

A few minutes later he heard a soft knock on his door. "Bucky?" Steve's voice filtered through. "You up? I'm going to the gym. Wanna come?"

Bucky stayed still and kept his breathing even. Hopefully, Steve would think he was asleep or at least take the hint that he didn't want to. He didn't hear anything further but he didn't hear any footsteps either.

He waited a little longer before whispering. "FRIDAY?" He hoped Stark's robot voice would be able to hear him.

There was a small pause before he got an answer. "Sergeant Barnes, how may I be of assistance?" The robot voice was a little muted but still loud enough to be audible through the door, especially to a super soldier. He hoped Steve had left.

"Do you know if Steve is still there?" He kept his voice low and hushed.

"Rogers has left for the gym." The voice seemed amused. "There's no need to whisper Sergeant Barnes, the rooms are completely sound proof."

"How did I hear Steve earlier then?"

"There is a small speaker that activates when the door is knocked." It seemed a lot kinder than it had earlier when it was answering Steve and Barton.

"Is there anything else I may assist you with Sergeant?" The voice asked when he didn't say anything.

"Uh no, thank you."

"You are welcome Sergeant Barnes." If it had a face, Bucky imagined it would be smiling, for a robot, it was very expressive.

After pretending to be asleep the first two mornings, Steve stopped knocking at 5 and wouldn't try until after he got back a couple of hours later.

As much as he was grateful Steve had helped him, he was also getting sick of Steve constantly dragging him around everywhere, not that they had anywhere to go. But Steve would pester him to come and sit with him while he drew or join him in the common room or eat meals together or go to the gym.

The voice didn't seem to like Steve much. So if it had been helping him avoid Steve, Bucky wasn't going to complain.

—

Sometimes Bucky woke because of the nightmares. Some nights he'd wake up thrashing, pulling at restraints that weren't there, others he'd jolt awake in a sweat, not really sure what it had been exactly. The worst though were the ones where he would watch himself carry out missions and couldn't do a single thing to stop himself. He'd meant it when he'd told Stark he remembered all of them.

The nightmares had started soon after he broke the conditioning. But they'd been fuzzy, he often woke up shaking and upset but with no real memory of the dream. They'd gotten clearer and more frequent until he barely ever got through a night.

It seemed the super soldier serum made up for the lack of sleep though. No matter how emotionally exhausted he felt, physically, he was pretty sure he could run a marathon and be perfectly fine to do it again.

Most nights he managed a couple hours of sleep before he woke, but it seemed that was enough for the super soldier serum to work with. No matter how emotionally exhausted he felt, physically, he was pretty sure he could run a marathon and be perfectly fine to do it again.

The psychologist in Wakanda had recommended he see a one in the US, and if not at least a therapist. The facility had two psychs working in the med bay and a team of therapists on rotation 24 hours. But Bucky hadn't quite worked up the courage to go down there.

The psych in Wakanda had been assigned to conduct an evaluation before he entered cryo as a baseline and before his departure had offered some general advice. He likely wouldn't have seen anyone otherwise.

He had to admit, the notebook had been helpful in sorting out his thoughts and he'd been speaking to FRIDAY, who had been very helpful in providing information on mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

During the war, they'd called it shell shock, though that was a little outdated and the doctors had often diagnosed it as combat stress fatigue. But no one spoke about it.

The voice, or rather FRIDAY, had informed him that many often still avoided the topic but there were people and groups out there who were working to destigmatise it. She'd given him resources for support groups for veterans and prisoners of war as well as phone numbers and websites to helplines and online councillors. They were all written on a page in his notebook but he hadn't tried any of them.

How would the even help, sure they were probably qualified and experienced, but had they ever been trained to deal with a brainwashed assassin who'd spent 70 years been frozen, defrosted, used and frozen again?

Maybe Stark's treatment would fix him. It had been tailored to erase his triggers but from what he'd understood, the B.A.R.F technology had originally created to aid the user in overcoming traumatic experiences. Until then, well he wasn't alright, but he was dealing with it.


	4. Talk

It had been almost two weeks and Tony had managed to avoid all contact with his former teammates so far. Nat and Rhodey had been running interference whenever they had tried to find him and FRIDAY wouldn't let them up into his rooms or down to the workshop and would warn him if they were headed in his direction. He knew he couldn't avoid them forever and he would have to start treating Barnes at some point.

He'd cleared out a training room on the second floor, set it up for the B.A.R.F and filled the corners with colourful beanbags and blankets. He knew what it was like to wake up from a panic attack inducing nightmare and Barnes' B.A.R.F treatment was likely to feel the same. He figured the colours and textures might help ground him and if nothing else, at least it wouldn't feel like a lab or whatever dungeon, lair or cell HYDRA kept him in.

He was standing in the doorway of the room, hands absentmindedly fiddling with a B.A.R.F. headset when Steve found him. Lost in his thoughts, he's missed FRIDAY's warning.

"Tony, I've been looking for you."

The clatter as he dropped the headset was jarringly loud, echoing in his head slightly. He took a deep breath, and plastered a smirk on his face before he turned to face Steve. "Well, you're looking at me now Captain."

Steve frowned. Tony had seemed more agreeable during his press conference, humbler even. It seemed that was all just another performance. He was still as arrogant and rude as before. Crossing his arms he took a step closer and looked down at Tony. "We need to talk."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "Well make it snappy Cappy, I've got work to do." It was taking everything he had not to flinch back into the room and slam the door in Roger's face.

"You are impossible." Steve took another step forward. Tony held his ground, barely concealing a jerk.

—

"Agent Romanov, Rogers has cornered Boss." Nat glanced up from her book at the sound of FRIDAY's voice.

"Where are they?"

"The B.A.R.F. room. Please hurry."

—

Nat slowed from her sprint just as she reached them. She could hear Steve's raised voice and as she rounded the corner, she saw him staring down at Tony, towering over him.

"This is ridiculous Tony, you're acting like a child."

"Steve. Step. Back." Natasha's voice snapped through the corridor.

"Nat, I'm fine, you don't need…" Tony started.

"No I don't, but I'm not going to let him stand over you like that." She glared until Steve took a step back.

"Tony, we just want to talk to you." Steve spoke at a more moderate volume, not wanting to anger Nat.

"Well I don't want to talk." Tony ground out.

"Tony, come on." When he didn't reply, Steve sighed, "Will you at least move us out of those rooms? What happened to our old rooms?"

"They were turned into training rooms, what's wrong with the ones you have now?" Tony was starting to fidget, he needed to get away.

"They're tiny, we don't even have our own bathrooms."

"Steve, that's the standard accomodation at the facility now." Nat interjected, her arms folded, still glaring slightly.

"Well, since that's settled, I have things to do, actual work and all that. Good talk." And with that, Tony pushed past Steve. He made a beeline for the elevator, ignoring Steve calling out after him.

"FRIDAY, straight to the workshop. Thanks baby." He slumped against the wall, clutching at his chest once the door closed.

By the time he stumbled into the workshop, he was hyperventilating. DUM-E whirred worriedly from his charging bay. "I'm okay, just gimme a sec." He all but gasped, collapsing beside his desk.

Technically, the B.A.R.F. tech was complete, he'd even finished all the modifications required to tailor it to Barnes' treatment. That didn't mean he couldn't find more things to upgrade. Tony lost himself in the tech until he didn't feel like he was losing his mind anymore.

—

"Rogers I've already told you, stop trying to talk to Tony." Natasha glared up at Steve.

"We just had some requests, it's not even about the Avengers or the Accords." Steve crossed his arms, a stubborn gleam in his eyes.

"You have no right to request anything anymore." She wouldn't give any ground either, two could play this game. "Leave him alone."

Steve glared a moment longer before letting out a huff and turning his back to storm away. He'd already had this argument with Nat, twice. He returned to their floor and found Sam in the kitchen.

"They're being impossible." He bit out as he collapsed into a chair.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "You'll have to be a little more specific."

"Tony." After a beat, Steve added, "and Nat."

"She still won't let you talk to Stark?" Sam grabbed the coffee from the machine and walked over to join Steve at the table.

"I actually managed to run into Tony today. He barely even listened and refused to come meet with us." Steve worked his jaw in frustration.

"Maybe you should just let it be Steve." Sam said gently. "It's not all that long. We'll get through this, the rooms aren't that big a deal."

"Its not just about the rooms." Steve huffed. "Its about Bucky's treatment, I just don't trust Tony has his best interests at heart. And he's still pushing for the Accords too."

"I read the Accords, they're not actually that bad. And they're still working on them. If we sign, we'll get a say in that too." Sam offered thoughtfully. He'd also been talking to Rhodes about it since they'd gotten back and he could see their merit. He still had some reservations, particularly about the registration sections but Stark had been working on those.

"Sam, we can't let them control us." Steve protested loudly.

"Steve, you're welcome to do what you want, but I think I'm going to sign." He wanted to talk it over a bit more but he didn't want to retire. "I hope you do to, but thats up to you. I'm headed to talk to Colonel Rhodes about the Accords in an hour if you wanted to come?" He had a feeling Steve would refuse but he wanted to at least offer.

Steve raised an eyebrow "He's not going to change my mind Sam."

"Are you really willing to retire though? Because those are your only options now Steve. You knew that when you got on the plane in Wakanda."

Steve grimaced and let out a frustrated sigh. "I'll think about it." Maybe they shouldn't have come back after all. They had been thinking of going off on their own, their only problem had been finding the funding to maintain their equipment and their lack of transport.

He wasn't ready to retire but he didn't think the Accords were the answer either. But at this point, it was one or the other. Sam seemed to think with some work they'd be a suitable option so perhaps he could help change them so they would have more freedom.

Perhaps that way Tony would see they were trying to meet him in the middle and stop attempting to avoid them all the time and things would go back to the way they were.

—

Sam had been meeting with Rhodes since they'd returned to the US. At first it was to apologise. Sam expected to be met with animosity but Rhodes had been very gracious and had told him that there was nothing to forgive, it was an unfortunate accident, no more his fault than it was Vision's.

They'd formed a friendship of sorts, both having been pilots and bonded over their love of flying. It had eventually turned to the Accords and Sam realised there was a lot more to them than he had initially thought. Sam read up on them properly and read about the changes and updates that had occurred. As they spoke more Sam found he didn't find them all that restrictive, in fact, they were very similar to the way in which the UN already regulated peace keeping and peace enforcement. It was just more specific to a super human team as opposed to the military.

Rhodes had a point, 117 countries wanted those Accords signed. The Avengers couldn't just keep jumping in and interfering as they pleased. There was a fine line between a duty to help because they had the power and respecting sovereign borders of other nations.

In all honesty, what the Avenger's had been doing was often disruptive and whilst they had good intentions, they often hadn't considered the effects of their actions and the collateral damage they would cause. He understood Steve's wariness of authority, especially after SHIELD but Rhodes was right, they couldn't just ignore the wishes of 117 nations.

Stark had made sure that as a team they would have veto powers to refuse missions and as individuals they would not have to participate in missions they did not want to either. However, the Accords council would need to approve any missions before they were conducted. The team would need to show they had considered any collateral damage the necessity of their involvement. They'd gotten by in the past only because Stark had funded clean up and restoration after they'd gone in and torn the place up.

Sam knew Lang had decided to retire and was going back to his family soon, but the others hadn't made a decision yet. Wanda didn't really have much choice but to sign, Sokovia would not take her back and she had no reason to stay in the US if she didn't sign.

He hoped Steve would sign, he didn't really care either way what the others decided, but he'd gotten into this mess following Steve and he still believed in him, maybe not as a leader but as a friend. He didn't think Steve would retire but he could be damn stubborn sometimes. Perhaps with the amendments and changes that were being discussed, he might be more open, especially now that Barnes was safe too.

—

Scott had come to an arrangement with the Accords Council and was to be moved to San Francisco the next week. He'd spend almost two year under house arrest but he'd be with his daughter again. He'd had enough of the rest of 'Team Cap'. Sam was the only other person who'd been productive, learning about the accords and the new set up of the Avengers. Probably with the intention to sign. Scott knew Sam had been meeting with the Accords Council, they'd bumped into each other a few times at their offices.

"This is bullshit." Barton was grumbling, arguing with Wilson, as Scott walked into the common room. He sighed a little, tuning out Barton's continued complaining as he made himself coffee. He knew his family had only spoken to him once since he'd come back. From what he understood, Laura didn't want to talk to him unless he decided to retire.

Sitting down, he took a couple of the pancakes from the tower on the table. They ate most of their meals at the mess but occasionally someone would try cooking something. Whoever had made the pancakes had done a decent job. The rest of the team was sitting at the table with the exception of Rogers, who was probably at the gym.

"Morning Barnes." He mumbled through a mouthful of pancake to the man beside him.

"Mornin' Lang." The assassin responded softly. "You goin' home soon?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see Cassie." He flashed a grin.

"She's your kid right?" Barnes' eyebrows furrowed a little.

"Yeah, I miss her." Scott said between bites.

Barnes was smiled at him. "I'm sure she misses you too."

At this point, Barton had started yelling and Barnes' smile quickly turn into a grimace, rolling his eyes at the archer on the other side of the table.

"What, you gonna tell me you're happy imprisoned here huh?" Barton shot at him.

"Happier than I would be in an actual prison." Barnes glared back.

"We wouldn't have even needed these pardons if it wasn't for Stark and his Accords." Barton argued.

"You forget my charges had nothin' to do with the Accords, and Stark wasn't the one who dreamt 'em up." Barnes pointed out exasperatedly and rolled his eyes again.

"I might not be his biggest fan but if it wasn't for him, we'd be back in the Raft. We made our decisions Barton, now we're dealing with the consequences." Wilson added, swallowing his mouthful.

"Well you're all about the Accords now aren't you, Wilson?" Barton shot. "You gonna move into Stark's penthouse now? Would make it easier for you to suck his dick."

It seemed Barton must have just found out Wilson was planning to sign. Barnes' obviously hadn't known either, his eyebrow raised in surprise. "Does that mean Steve is gonna sign too?"

"Of course he's not." Maximoff scoffed, finally chiming in.

"He said he'd consider it, and I don't think he's about to retire." Sam said at the same time, shrugging when she glared at him. "Well what else is he going to do? What are you going to do? You know they'll send you back to Sokovia if you don't sign. And they will put you in jail."

Scott tuned out again as the others continued arguing. He couldn't wait to go home. He wished he'd never left, but who was going to say no to Captain America? Sighing a little he shook the thought from his mind, he could make his own informed decisions, he'd chosen not to look past the surface and that was on him. Anything past that was his own fault.

He finished off his pancakes and went to clean his dishes. Barnes had slipped out at some point and left the common room. Scott knew Rogers was due to come back from the gym soon and if he didn't know any better, he would have thought Barnes was avoiding his old friend.


End file.
